Windmill



3 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. H. POE.

WINDMILL.

(N0 Modl.)

No. 372,563. Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet G. H. POE.

WINDMILL. 372,563. Patented Nov. 1, 1887. l .10

1II J1 x a amve wbo a MA W. M

(No Model.) 3 SheetSheet 3.. G. H. POE.

WINDMILL.

No. 372,563. Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

N. PETERS. Phnlo-Lilbognphar. Washmgton. D, C.

UNrTsn STATES PATENT Urrics.

GEORGE HENRY POE, OF ROUNDHEAD, OHIO.

WINDMILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,563, dated November 1, 1887. Applicatii n filed May 2, 1887. Serial No. 236,810. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE HENRY POE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Roundhead, in the county of Hardin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Windmills; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved windmill. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view of the upper portion of the mechanism. Fig. 4. is a similar view from the other side. Fig. 5 is a front view of the wheel. Fig.6 is a detail view from the front of one of the vanes and its rod or spoke; and Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional detail view of the top frame, taken on lines a: 00, Figs. 3 and 4.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention has relation to that class of windmills in which the wheel is brought to face the wind by a guide-vane radiating from the rear of the supporting-frame for the wheel and in which the wheel and the said vane are pivotally connected with relation to each other, so that the wheel may be placed in different planes at different angles to the plane of the guide-vane and of the wind; and it consists in the improved construction and combination of parts of such a windmill, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the shalt of the wheel, to which is secured the rear disk, 2, of the hub of the wheel, the said disk having another disk, 3, bolted to its face and secured upon the shaft by a set-screw, 4, )assing through a sleeve, 5, upon the disk. The disks have their facing sides formed with radiating grooves 6, registering with each other, and these grooves form sockets when the disks are secured together, in which sockets the inner ends of the spokes 7 of the wheel are secured. These spokes have their outer ends, 8, screwthreaded and provided with nuts 9, and a tire formed by segmental strips 10, of metal, is secured to the ends of the spokes, the overlapping ends of the strips being secured between the nuts upon the same. A smaller disk, 11, is secured upon the outer end of the shaft, and brace-rods 12 are secured with their inner hooked ends, 13, in perforations 14 in the edge of the disk, while the outer eyed ends, 15, of the rods are secured to the ends of the spokes between the nuts.

The vanes 16 are of sheet metal and have two pairs of slits, 17, out transversely in them, forming loops, through which the spokes pass, and the upper wider ends of these vanes are formed with notches 18, with which they fit around the inner nuts of the spokes.

The vanes are further secured to the spokes by means of bolts 19, having eyes 21 at one end, through which the spokes pass. The shanks of the bolts pass through the vanes and are secured upon the opposite sides by means of yokes 20, which are secured in place by means of nuts upon the screw-threaded ends of the bolts.

The tower 22 of the mill is provided at its upper end with a circular cap-plate, 23, having a downwardly-extending sleeve or cylinder, 24, and having an annular groove, 25, in its upper face, and a correspondiugly-shaped plate, 26, having a registering annulargroove, 27, in its lower face, turns upon this cap-plate, having anti-friction balls 28 interposed between the plate and the table in the grooves, and having a downward]y-extending sleeve, 29, fitting and turning freely in the sleeve of the capplate, the said inner sleeve having its lower end projecting below the cap-plate sleeve and having a collar, 30, secured upon its end, bearing against the lower end of the cap-plate sleeve.

An upright side piece, 31, projects from the rear edge of the circular plate and is provided at its upper end with an inwardly-bent lip, 32, having a vertical bearing or perforation, 33, in its end concentric with the sleeves of the plate and of the cap-plate, and an arm, 34, having flanges 35 at its edges, projects from the middle of this side piece and has the arm 37 of the guide-vane 38 secured in it between the flanges. The circular plate has an annular groove, 39, formed in its upper face, in which anti-friction balls 40 are placed, and a short neck, 41, projects from the center of the plate, and a plate, 42, is pivoted with a vertical bearing. 43, upon this neck,and is provided at one of its rear corners with a rearwardlyprojecting boX, 44, having a yielding packing, 45, secured in it, the said packing bearing against the edge of the rear side piece. A forward side piece, 46, projects upward from the forward edge of this plate and has the horizontal bearing 47 projecting from it, the shaft of the wheel'being journaledin this hearing, which extends through the side piece and is provided with a removable upper cap. 48.

The upper end of the forward side piece is formed with a rearwardly, downwardly, and again rearwardly bent portion. 49, which is formed with a verticalbearing, 50, registering with the bearing in the top piece of the rear side piece. a tubular bolt, 51, being secured in this bearing or perforation and having the bent top piece of the forward side piece pivoted'upon it with its bearing, the forward half of the frame, formed by the upper plate, the forward side piece and its top piece being thus pivoted to rock in a horizontal plane upon the rear half of the frame. t

The rear end of the shaft or axle of the wheel projects beyond the inner side of the forward side piece, and a disk, 52, is secured upon the same, the said disk having a wrist-pin, 53, to which the upper end of a pitman, 54., is pivoted, the said pitman having a forwardly-projecting stud, 55, at its lower end, with which it glides in flanged ways 56 upon the inner side of the forward side piece, and a rear weirdly-projecting stud, 57, with which it is pivoted to a collar, 58. The upper end of the vertical ways is provided with a suitable oilcnp, 60, and all the movable joints of the pitman and its connections, as well as the box for the shaft, are provided with suitable oilcups. it

The collar pivoted to the lower end of the pitman is secured upon the upper end of the tubular upperrod,61, which reciprocatcs freely in the inner sleeve of the frame, and the lower end of this tubular rod is provided with two collars, 62, between which a collar, 63, upon the upper end of the-pump-rod 64 is secured, the upper rod revolving within the said collar, while the pumprod reciprocates in suitable vertical bearings, 65, in the tower.

The guide-vane is provided with an upwardly-inclined brace-rod, 66, which is secured to the upper end of the rear side piece of the frame, and a three-armed lever, 67, is pivoted upon a laterally-projecting stud, 68, upon the arm of the guide-vane, rocking in a vertical plane, and this three-armed lever has one rearwardly-curved arm, 69, to the laterally'bent end of which one end of a chain, 70, is secured, the said chain passing over a guidepulley, 71, journaled in a slotted bar, 72, secured upon the upper end of the rear side piece and passing through the upper tubular pivotal bolt of the frame portions and having a swivel, 73, at its end. The upper end of a rod or wire, 74, is secured in this swivel, and

the rod passes down through the inner sleeve and through thetubular upper rod, extending to the foot of the tower, where it may have suitable means for holding it while manipulating it and-suitable means for securing it drawn down to different degrees.

The plate of the forward half of the upper frame is provided with a laterally-projecting perforated ear, 75, and the forward end of a connecting rod. 76. is pivoted in this ear, while its rear end is pivoted upon a stud, 77. at the lower end of the downwardlyprtjecting arm 78 of the three-armed lever, and the third 7 and rearwardly-projecting and downwardlycurved arm 79 of the said lever is provided with a poise, 80, sliding adjustably'upon the sameby means of a set-screw, 81. i

It will now be seen that the wheel will be revolved by the wind blowing against its face, the guide-vane keeping the wheel with its face toward the wind; and the vanes being secured at an angle of forty-five degrees by means of the strips 82. projecting from their outer edges and secured to the rim, the wind willact upon the vanes to the best advantage. When the wind increases in force, it will find less resistance at the side of the wheel to which the forward half of the frame may turn, and the wheel will graduallyturn to that side, offering less of its face to the wind, the wheel thus governing itself according to the strength of the wind, the resistance to the turning of the frame being governed by the weight upon the arm of the threearmed lever, which serves to return the halves of the frame to their normal positions. \Vhen it is desired to either regulate the speed of the mill or to stop it from the ground, the wire or rod may be drawn down, when the wheel-bearing portion of the frame will be turned toward the guidevane, the edge of the wheel being turned toward the wind when it is stopped.

The yielding cushion in the rearwardlyprojecting box of the forward halfof the frame will cushion the force with which the weight will straighten the frame-halves out, and the anti-friction balls interposed between the two plates of the frame, constituting the turn-table, will allow them to turn without any perceptible degree of friction.

The anti-friction balls between the turntable and the cap-plate of the frame will reduce the friction for the mill in turning with the wind; and the edge of the circular plate of the turn-table is formed with a flange, 83, projecting downward over the edge of the capplate, protecting the space between the table and the plate from dirt or snow and water from entering between them.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. In a Windwheel, the combination of radially-extending spokes, a rim secured to the ends of the spokes, vanes secured with transverse strips formed by transverse slits upon the spokes and having strips projecting from the outerends, bent at right angles to the same and secured to the rim, placing the vanes at the proper angle, and eyed holts fitting with the eyes upon the spokes and passing through the vanes, having yokes and nuts upon their ends, the yokes bearing transversely against the faces of the vanes, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

2. In a windwill, the combination of a turning base-plate having an upwardly-pro jecting rear side piece provided with a guide- Vane projecting rearward and with an in wardlybent top piece having a tubular bolt secured in a vertical bearingat its end, a plate journaled with avertical bearing upon a neck upon the other plate and having an upwardly and inwardly bent frame bearing the wheel,

and having a vertical bearing pivoted upon the bolt in the top piece of the other plate and formed with a box projecting rearward from one rear corner and provided with a yielding packing bearing against the edge of the side piece of the other plate, anti -fricti0n halls placed in grooves between the plates. and means, substantially as described, for turning the forward frame to one side, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE HENRY POE.

Witnesses:

ROBERT C. IRWIN, BENJAMIN L. HOEY. 

